Brand & Product Round-ups

2011 Temptalia Readers’ Choice Awards – Vote Now!

The nominations are in, tallied up, and now it’s time for you to vote! Voting is now open and will close on January 16th, 2011 at 6PM PST. We will announce the results within one week of when the voting ends, but we will do everything we can to get ’em out ASAP!

This is your last chance to vote if you haven’t already! Voting ends promptly at 6PM PST tonight!

2011 Temptalia Readers’ Choice Awards – Nominations

As the year wraps up, it’s time for one of my very favorite events here on Temptalia: the Readers’ Choice Awards. We kick off the awards with a period of nominations, and the nominees that make it on the voting ballot are 100% the result of the nominations our readers send it. The top 10-15 nominees for each category move onto the voting ballot that is open to all readers. Every nomination counts–I’ve seen how many nominations are needed for a product to make it on the voting ballot–and you never know what might make the cut off.

Nominations are open now and close on January 2nd, 2011 at 6PM PST. Voting will open January 3rd, 2011 at 6AM PST.

Introducing: Makeup Recommendations

We have all found at least a few items we absolutely love and reach for often because they just suit us, whether flattering on our skin tone, with our hair color/eye color, or based on our skin type. This list is designed to help compile our tried and true recommendations to help others find their favorites (and hopefully, you’ll find some new favorites, too!).

We are all our own experts and the power of collaboration allows us to come together and harness all of that expertise in a way that can benefit the entire beauty community. Some of the most popular questions we’ve asked have been related to everyone’s favorite pink blush or red lipstick! Together, we can create a more comprehensive list of our personal favorites, based on our skin tone, skin type, hair color, and eye color.

Share your favorites!

Use our easy recommendation form to add your favorite products and holy grail shades to our list. (Please allow a few minutes for the list itself to update.)

MULTIPLE LISTINGS ARE OKAY! They’re good, even! If 10 people with similar coloring all recommend the same product, isn’t it a sign that it really must be amazing?

2009 Readers’ Choice Awards — Results — Part 2

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the winners — agree, disagree? Surprised? Thought they were a shoe-in from the get-go?

Best Beauty Tool: MAC 217 Brush

14.6% of voters just have to have MAC’s 217 Brush! shu uemura’s Eyelash Curler (10.0%) and Clarisonic (9.4%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Lipgloss: MAC Lipglass

MAC Lipglass continues to be the favored lipgloss amongst readers with 19.8% of votes. MAC shouldn’t worry, though — its various glosses all held the top four spots in this category. MAC Dazzleglass (15.8%) and MAC Cremesheen Glass (8.9%) came in second and third, respectively. MAC Lipglass won in 2007, but MAC Dazzleglass won in 2008. But for 2009, we’re back to Lipglass!

Best Lipstick: MAC Lipstick

MAC Lipstick continues to be a strong, now three-time winner, with 46.5% of votes. YSL Rouge Volupte (9.9%) and Chanel Rogue Allure Laque (6.0%) come in a distant second and third, respectively.

Best Highlighter (Face): NARS Albatross Blush/Highlighter

NARS Albatross Blush/Highlighter is certainly a reader-favorite this year, winning with 13.0% of the vote. MAC’s limited-edition Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish (11.4%) and Benefit High Beam (11.0%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Everyday Blush: NARS Orgasm Blush

NARS Orgasm Blush (now a two-time winner) really must give you that lovely, natural glow that we all seek, because 30.2% of you thought it the perfect everyday shade. Benefit CORALista (8.3%) and MAC Dainty Mineralize Blush (7.4%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Primer (Face): Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

With 15.8% of votes, Smashbox Photo Finish Primer managed to edge out MAC Prep & Prime (14.8%) and become a two-time winner. Coming in third was Make Up For Ever HD Primer (12.2%).

Best Foundation: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

Now a two-timer winner, Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (11.6%) just barely beat out two incredibly strong contenders: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (11.4%) and Revlon ColorStay (11.4%) — and yes, MAC and Revlon tied for second!

Best Tinted Moisturizer: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer picked up this award with 21.3% of the vote, with Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer (9.8%) and MAC Studio Moisture Tint (8.9%) coming in second and third, respectively.

Best Nail Polish: OPI

OPI is no doubt a reader favorite, as it received 45.6% of your votes. China Glaze (22.1%) and Essie (5.8%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Exfoliator (Face): St. Ives Apricot Scrub

St. Ives Apricot Scrub (19.3%) wins for the second year in a row! MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator (17.0%) and Clarisonic (8.8%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Moisturizer: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel won again this year, with 9.5% of the vote, but Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (9.3%) kept it close. Philosophy Hope in a Jar (8.9%) came in third.

Best Cleanser: Cetaphil

Cetaphil (14.6%) really, really barely won out over Philosophy Purity Made Simple (14.6%) — like it came down to just a few votes. As I watched the votes come in, they would change places regularly, but Cetaphil won it at the end of the day. Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (11.5%) came in third.

Best Makeup Remover: MAC Wipes

MAC Wipes make taking your makeup of a breeze with 14.4% of the vote. Lancome Bi-Facil (13.5%) and Neutrogena Makeup Removing Cleansing Towelettes (9.8%) came in second and third, respectively. Lancome Bi-Facil won in 2008 but must give up its crown to MAC this year.

Best Body Scrub: St. Ives Apricot Scrub

For the second year in a row, St. Ives Apricot Scrub continues to reign supreme with 17.5% of the vote. The Body Shop scrubs (11.7%) and Bath & Body Works scrubs (10.7%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Shampoo: Herbal Essences

Herbal Essences wins our new-for-’09 category, Best Shampoo, with a mere 12.1% of the vote. Shampoo, on the whole, varied quite a bit, with 27% voting other. Pantene (11.9%) and Frederic Fekkai (6.3%) came in second and third, respectively.

Best Conditioner: Pantene

Pantene may be second in shampoo, but they’re your number one for conditioner with 12.4% of the vote. Herbal Essences (9.2%) and Kerastase Conditioning Treatment (6.3%) came in second and third, respectively. Like Best Shampoo, the vote was more scattered across the board amongst the nominees (other only received 7.8% of votes).

2009 Readers’ Choice Awards — Results — Part 1

The results are in! It’s been a really incredible time compiling nominees and then watching the votes come in. We had some close races in a few categories, with the difference being as little as one (or even tied!) at times. It’s always fun to see how those turn out, because you never really know until the very last vote comes in–plus, it really shows that every vote counts and may be the one that turns the tide.

Did your favorites win? Were you surprised by any of the winners?

Best Beauty Brand of the Year: MAC Cosmetics

With a crushing 49.0% of the vote, MAC Cosmetics picks up Best Beauty Brand of the Year. This marks MAC as a three-time winner in this category. Urban Decay (9.9%) and Make Up For Ever (7.6%) were the second and third, respectively, but it was clear MAC was, again, going to win this category by a landslide.

Best New Product of 2009: Sigma Brushes

Sigma Brushes really caught your attention this year and 14.4% of you found them the best new product of 2009. With 11.8% of votes, Chanel Rouge Allure Laques just barely edged out Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. II (11.4%) to come in second and third, respectively.

Most Surprisingly Amazing Product of 2009: Sigma Brushes

Sigma Brushes (15.6%) really caught a lot of you by surprise this year — but in a good way. I’m definitely going to try to give them a test during the new year, since so many of you seemed to enjoy it. MAC’s Style Black Mineralized Eyeshadows (10%) were another surprise favorite, along with Chanel Rouge Allure Laque (9.3%) and MAC Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish (7.9%).

Most Disappointing Product of 2009: MAC Tri-colour Lipglass

Limited edition in nature, but still one of the bigger disappointments of the year, were MAC’s Sugarsweet Tri-colour Lipglasses — 16.9% thought so, at least. Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto (14.5%) was another product that missed the mark, with CoverGirl’s LashBlast Length Mascara (9.4%) not working out so well either.